1. Field of the Invention
The invention provides an integrated miniature infrared sensor assembly cooled by a cryocooler and configured with a reduced assembly volume capable of being enclosed within a more compact spherical volume envelop. In particular, the infrared sensor assembly utilizes a folded cryocooler design configured with a gas compression unit and a gas expansion unit attached to a crankcase and configured with a single rotary motor coupled by first drive linkages to a gas compression piston and by second drive linkages to a gas displacing piston for moving each piston with a reciprocating linear motion. The arrangement of the first and second drive linkages provides a particularly compact cryocooler configuration.
2. Description of Related Art
Miniature cryogenic refrigeration devices, hereinafter cryocoolers, are utilized for various cooling applications e.g. for cooling infrared sensors and other electronic elements. Cryocoolers are employed in airborne tracking and reconnaissance cameras, in industrial handheld and fixed camera installations and in scientific instruments. In many applications, it is desirable to minimize the size, weight and power consumption of the cryocooler.
Conventional cryocoolers based on a gas refrigeration cycle are known and commercially available. Such cryocoolers include a gas compression unit and a gas volume expansion unit interconnected by a fluid conduit. The known devices may be integrated as a unitary element or split, with the gas compression unit and the gas volume expansion unit being separated. In a conventional refrigeration cycle, e.g. a Stirling refrigeration cycle, refrigeration gas is processed in stages to generate cooling power. The refrigeration gas or fluid is first compressed by the gas compression unit, then pre cooled by exchanging thermal energy with a thermal regenerator module, expanded by the gas volume expansion unit and then preheated by a second exchange of thermal energy with the thermal regenerator module. The gas expansion process generates cooling power and the cooling power is used to draw thermal energy away from an element to be cooled.
Generally the gas compression unit includes a compression cylinder and a compression piston movable within the compression cylinder to compress the refrigeration gas during each compression stroke of the piston. Similarly, the gas volume expansion unit includes a gas volume expansion cylinder and a gas displacing piston movable within the gas volume expansion cylinder. Movement of the displacing piston cyclically expands and contracts the volume of an expansion space formed at a cold end of the gas volume expansion cylinder. Each of the gas compression piston and gas displacing piston reciprocates along a linear path defined by its associated cylinder. The gas compression piston moves in a compression stroke cycle and generates peak pressure pulses during the compression stage of the refrigeration cycle. The gas displacing piston moves in an expansion stroke cycle to expand the volume of the gas expansion space during the expansion stage of the refrigeration cycle.
Integrated cryocoolers are available that utilize a single rotary motor mechanically coupled to both the gas compression piston and the gas expansion piston using first and second drive couplings. In addition, the first and second drive couplings are configured to appropriately synchronize the movement of the gas compression piston and the gas displacing piston to thereby cause the compression stroke and the expansion stoke to occur at the required stage of the refrigeration cycle. Specific examples of commercially available integrated cryocooler configurations include the FLIR Systems Inc. models MC-3 and MC-5, manufactured in Billerica Mass., and the Ricor Corporation models K560 and K548 manufactured in Israel. Other examples of integrated cryocoolers configurations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,719 by Lagodmos entitled CRYOGENIC REFRIGERATOR, published on Jul. 3, 1973, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,442 by Stetson entitled MINIATURE INTEGRAL STIRLING CRYOCOOLER, published on Aug. 22, 1989 and commonly assigned with the present application.
Generally there is a need in the art to further miniaturize cooled infrared sensor assemblies to fit the sensor assemblies within smaller volume enclosures. The present invention provides an improved cooled infrared sensor assembly configured with a folded cryocooler layout for reducing the volume of the device. The folded cryocooler layout includes more compact drive couplings as described below. Moreover, the improved drive couplings provide a novel configuration with separate attaching features for driving the gas compression piston and the gas displacing piston independently.